Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
If Power Outages Are California’s New Normal, What About Home Medical Needs?
Those who rely on plug-in health devices or medicine that requires refrigeration are scrambling to find ways to avoid potentially life-threatening disruptions now and in future fire season shutdowns. (Mark Kreidler, )
Good morning! Don’t forget to “fall back” this weekend, but don’t try to make up for any lost sleep from the week. Doing so can throw off your circadian rhythms. Now, here are your top California health stories for the day.
Firefighting Has Changed -- And So Have The Threats To Health Of Those Who Battle The Flames: For generations, firefighters fought mostly in desolate forests, where most of the dangers were fatigue and falling trees. But a confluence of modern factors — namely America’s rapid suburban expansion into the wilderness, combined with the growing ferocity of wildfires — is posing a host of new health threats to the men and women who fight these blazes. In the last three years, California has seen a record number of devastating fires, and thousands of firefighters have been exposed to chemicals they had not previously encountered in such high volumes. Unlike urban firefighters dealing with structural blazes, these wildfire responders do not wear heavy gear that filters air or provides clean air because the gear is unwieldy and too limited to allow the kind of multi-hour, high-exertion efforts demanded on the front lines of these large outdoor infernos. But some think more needs to be done to keep wildland firefighters safe. Read more from Julie Turkewitz of The New York Times.
As Anger Toward PG&E Boils Over, Families Of Workers Fear They’ll Become The Targets Of Public’s Rage: When Katie Barbier saw news reports about shots fired at Pacific Gas and Electric Co. trucks, her first worry was her loved ones. Barbier’s husband works for PG&E. So does his cousin. As PG&E intentionally blacked out millions of Californians this month — and then sent thousands of workers out in the field to inspect and repair lines before turning the power back on — she found the escalating threats against employees “nerve-racking,” she said. “These guys they see on the street aren’t the people they should lash out at,” Barbier said. Read more from Mallory Moench of the San Francisco Chronicle.
In other wildfire news, a hot car ignited dry grass in a field in the city of Jurupa Valley east of Los Angeles and strong winds that have menaced the region quickly spread the flames, burning homes and forcing residents to flee. The frightening scenario was among the latest to erupt as exceptionally dry conditions and vicious gusts have contributed to destructive fires that forced tens of thousands of evacuations across the state while other Californians endured dayslong deliberate power outages aimed at preventing electric lines from sparking fires. Read more from Brian Melley and Marcio Jose Sanchez of The Associated Press and Alex Wigglesworth and Rong Gong Lin II of the Los Angeles Times.
Below, check out the full round-up of California Healthline original stories, state coverage and the best of the rest of the national news for the day.
More News From Across The State
Reuters:
Trump Rule On Health Insurance Leaves Immigrants, Companies Scrambling For Answers
Nearly a decade after receiving U.S. citizenship, Guatemalan-born Mayra Lopez thought she had cleared all the hurdles for her parents to join her in the United States. Then on Oct. 4 U.S. President Donald Trump changed the rules she and others had been complying with: Trump signed a proclamation requiring all prospective immigrants to prove they will have U.S. health insurance within 30 days of their arrival or enough money to pay for "reasonably foreseeable medical costs." (10/31)
PolitiFact California:
Fact Check: Does California Really Have ‘90,000 Unsheltered’ Homeless People?
California’s homeless crisis now ranks as one of the top concerns in the state, tied for first with jobs and the economy in a recent survey. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, who chairs the governor’s commission on homelessness, has taken notice and promised greater urgency. (Nichols, 10/31)
Modesto Bee:
Modesto Stand Down Aids Veterans Who Are Homeless, In Need
The goods and services offered at the fourth annual Homeless Veterans Stand Down in Modesto’s Graceada Park on Thursday weren’t “handouts,” one of the organizers noted. The men, and the occasional woman, who turned out for food, clothing, showers, haircuts and more have earned what was provided, said Joe Sicilian, vice commandant of the Marine Corps League. (Farrow, 10/31)
Modesto Bee:
Oakdale Woman Given Notice To Vacate Her Apartment
Local agencies concerned with seniors and fair housing for tenants have predicted a wave of low-income seniors being displaced by the state’s housing crisis and a boost in homelessness. Bowers said a fair housing agency in Stanislaus County tried to talk with the property owner, asking for more time because of Bowers’ health problems, but the landlord was refusing to work with the agency. (Carlson, 10/31)
The Associated Press:
Measles Saps Kids' Ability To Fight Other Germs
Measles has a stealth side effect: New research shows it erases much of the immune system's memory of how to fight other germs, so children recover only to be left more vulnerable to bugs like flu or strep. Scientists dubbed the startling findings "immune amnesia." The body can rebuild those defenses — but it could take years. And with measles on the rise, "it should be a scary phenomenon," said Dr. Michael Mina of Harvard's school of public health, lead author of research published Thursday in the journal Science. (10/31)
Los Angeles Times:
Measles Infection Causes ‘Immune Amnesia,’ Leaving Kids Vulnerable To Other Illnesses
“The measles virus is like a car accident for your immune system,” said Harvard University geneticist Stephen Elledge,the senior author of the Science study. An unvaccinated child who weathers the measles may emerge only slightly the worse from such a crash. Or he might sustain an injury from which it takes months or years to recover. (Healy, 10/31)
The New York Times:
Juul’s Meltdown Costs Tobacco Giant Altria $4.5 Billion
The tobacco giant Altria Group said Thursday that it had devalued its investment in the vaping company Juul Labs by $4.5 billion, a move that reflects deepening turmoil in the e-cigarette industry. Altria, one of the world’s largest tobacco companies, invested $12.8 billion in Juul in December 2018, acquiring a 35 percent stake in the Silicon Valley start-up. (Robertson, 10/31)
Reuters:
FTC Probes Altria For Role In Juul Executive Changes
U.S. antitrust enforcers are probing Altria Group Inc for potentially exerting influence over electronic-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc before winning approval for a big share buy, Altria said in a government filing on Thursday. Marlboro maker Altria purchased a 35% stake in Juul in December 2018 for $12.8 billion, but the shares are non-voting and the companies have not yet received antitrust approval for the transaction. (10/31)
Reuters:
Altria Writes Down Juul Investment By $4.5 Billion Amid Vaping Backlash
Juul appointed a longtime Altria executive as its CEO last month in a bid to rebuild its image. The company has also cut jobs, suspended advertising in the United States and revamped its management. "While we had a range of scenarios when we made the investment, we did not anticipate this dramatic a change in the e-vapor category," Altria Chief Executive Officer Howard Willard said on a conference call with analysts. (10/31)
The Associated Press:
US Vaping Illnesses Rise To 1,888 With Pace Picking Up Again
The number of U.S. vaping illnesses has jumped again, reaching more than 1,800 cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 1,888 confirmed and probable cases have been reported in 49 states. An Illinois report brings the toll to 38 deaths in 24 states. (10/31)
CNN:
Elizabeth Warren Releases Plan To Fund Medicare For All, Pledges No Middle Class Tax Hike
Warren released a plan Friday detailing how she would seek to pay for "Medicare for All" without raising taxes on the middle class "by one penny." The highly anticipated plan arrives amid a weeks-long onslaught from Warren's Democratic primary rivals, who accused the Massachusetts senator of misleading voters of hiding from the fiscal realities of financing a program that some experts have calculated could cost up to $34 trillion over a decade. (Luhby, Krieg, Lee and Santiago, 11/1)
Fox News:
Warren’s $52T 'Medicare-For-All' Plan Revealed: Campaign Still Claims No Middle-Class Tax Hikes Needed
So how would she pay for it? Among other proposals, Warren calls for bringing in nearly $9 trillion in new Medicare taxes on employers over the next 10 years, arguing this would essentially replace what they’re already paying for employee health insurance. Further, Warren’s campaign says if they are at risk of falling short of the revenue target, they could impose a “Supplemental Employer Medicare Contribution” for big companies with “extremely high executive compensation and stock buyback rates.” (Singman and Berger, 11/1)
The New York Times:
Elizabeth Warren Releases Plan To Pay For ‘Medicare For All’
Under Ms. Warren’s plan, employer-sponsored health insurance — which more than half of Americans now receive — would be eliminated and replaced by free government health coverage for all Americans, a fundamental shift from a market-driven system that has defined health care in the United States for decades but produced vast inequities in quality, service and cost. Ms. Warren would pay for the $20.5 trillion in new federal spending through a mix of sources, including by requiring employers to pay trillions of dollars to the government, replacing much of what they currently spend to provide health coverage to workers. (Kaplan, Goodnough and Sanger-Katz, 11/1)
The Associated Press:
Warren Health Care Plan Pledges No Middle Class Tax Increase
Her plan is built on transferring to the government 98% of the $8.8 trillion she estimates that employers will spend on private insurance for their employees. “We can generate almost half of what we need to cover Medicare for All just by asking employers to pay slightly less than what they are projected to pay today, and through existing taxes,” Warren wrote in a 20-page online post detailing her program. Companies with fewer than 50 employees would be exempted and — in a nod to unions whose support will be key in the Democratic primary — Warren said that employers already offering health benefits reached under collective bargaining agreements will be allowed to reduce how much they send to federal coffers — provided that they pass those savings on to employees. (Weissert, 11/1)
Los Angeles Times:
Elizabeth Warren Announces $20-Trillion Medicare For All Proposal
With her proposal, Warren becomes the first of the Democratic candidates to fully describe how a Medicare for All plan would be paid for. Her chief rival on the party’s left, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who has campaigned in favor of a government-run medical plan for years, has outlined various options for financing, but has not committed to one. Warren argues in her plan that America could do away with private insurance — entirely eliminating premiums, deductibles and co-payments — and move everyone into a single-payer system without sacrificing care and without hiking taxes on the middle class. (Halper, 11/1)
The Hill:
New ObamaCare Enrollment Period Faces Trump Headwinds
When ObamaCare’s open enrollment period begins Friday, many people can expect to find lower premiums and more plan options on healthcare.gov. But experts and advocates are projecting the number of enrollees for 2020 will decrease for a fourth consecutive year, in large part because of actions taken by the Trump administration. (Hellmann, 10/31)
The New York Times:
A Gender Divide On Microaggressions In Medicine
“Is this seat taken?” I heard a student ask another student, who was holding a seat in the front row of a class I was about to teach. “Yep — that one’s taken!” He laughingly gestured to his lap. “Want to sit here instead?” he asked softly. She paused and looked at him silently for a split second before walking away and taking a seat at the back of the class. Not wanting to start the first day of the course on a negative note, I said nothing. I should have. (Periyakoil, 10/31)
The New York Times:
Medicare Can Be Confusing: 6 Of Your Top Questions, Answered
Most people on Medicare report that they are very satisfied with their health care coverage — but the program is complicated. Medicare features an alphabet soup of plans, coverage choices, premium levels and enrollment rules. The New York Times recently invited readers to submit their questions about Medicare. Today, we’re responding to some of the most frequent ones. (Miller, 11/1)
Stat:
Giving Vouchers To Pharma To Develop Antibiotics Could Be Costly
One approach federal lawmakers have used to jumpstart certain types of drug development has been to offer vouchers to companies that can later be redeemed when seeking approval for yet another medicine. But a new analysis suggests the notion may not be worth the cost if it were used to entice drug makers to develop much-needed antibiotics. Citing a bill proposed last year to offer vouchers for new antibiotics, the researchers calculated the idea would have cost an extra $4.5 billion in spending on medicines over a 10-year period, had the legislation taken effect in 2007. (Silverman, 10/31)
The San Francisco Chronicle:
Brittany Maynard’s Profound Legacy On End-Of-Life Options
On Oct. 6, 2014, Brittany Maynard, a terminally ill, 29-year-old California woman, partnered with Compassion & Choices to make an impact on end-of-life care options that continues to this day. Ever since then, this partnership has super-charged the introduction and passage of medical aid-in-dying laws across the nation, increasing the number of people nationwide who have access to this option to peacefully end unbearable suffering by more than five-fold. (Kim Callinan and Dan Diaz, 11/1)
CalMatters:
California Health Insurance Must Also Include Housing, Counseling
Life packed a lot of hardship into Ma’Lissa Simon’s 24 years. Bullied by schoolmates and siblings about her weight, anger drove her into gangs, drugs and even prostitution before the age of 18. She spent some time in prison. Once she got out, transitional programs did not work and she ended up on the streets. It was not until she was six months pregnant with twins, in the hospital for gestational diabetes and kidney problems, that things started to change. (Hector De La Torre and John Baackes, 10/31)
Los Angeles Times:
We Need Supervised Consumption Sites, Not Needle Exchange Programs
Everyone agrees that substance abuse is a growing problem in our community, but the real question is determining the best way to combat the problem -- that is, how can we reduce the harm for both substance abusers and our community in a fair and cost-effective manner? One of the best ways may be through creating supervised consumption sites. Supervised consumption sites are associated with fewer discarded needles in public areas. (Lois Nestor, 10/28)
CalMatters:
Lawmakers Must Do More To Fund Mental Health Care At The University Of California
his summer, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Legislature passed a $214 billion budget that includes $5.3 million earmarked for improving mental health services in the University of California system. Students returning to campus this fall might cheer that a long-underfunded issue is finally getting state attention and, more importantly, an injection of cash. Sadly, that’s not the whole story. (Emily Estus, 10/28)
Los Angeles Times:
Is California Doing Preemptive Power Shut-Offs All Wrong?
It will be weeks, if not months, before authorities know for sure what caused the wind-driven fires that blazed through California this month. If history is any guide, the causes are likely to be as varied as the trajectory of each fire. But at least four of the conflagrations — including the Saddleridge and Kincade fires — might have been sparked by electrical equipment malfunctioning in heavy winds despite widespread preemptive power outages that were intended to stop them. (Mariel Garza, 10/28)
Sacramento Bee:
Republican Solution To CA Wildfires, PG&E Shutoffs All Wrong
California is on fire, and Republicans have a solution: pour gasoline on the flames. As smoke choked the air – and as 180,000 people evacuated their homes and millions more endured blackouts – two Northern California legislators took the opportunity to continue the Republican Party’s ongoing war against … clean energy. (Gil Duran, 10/29)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento, CA Shelter Proposal Could House 700 Homeless
Any plan that could get 700 people off the streets in Sacramento should get special attention. That’s what Sacramento City Councilman Allen Warren says his shelter proposal involving tents, cabins, tiny homes and single-family homes will do, per Sacramento Bee reporter Theresa Clift. The North Sacramento plan demonstrates the creative thinking we need to lift residents out of homelessness, and is worth prioritizing as the council determines what homelessness solutions should get funding. (10/28)